The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1887-09-14
TRUTH, THOU ART A PEARL
CONSISTENCY, THOU
ART A JEWELL.

IL the way OF MAKING the SettlelhenI.
Any one will accede that we publish
ed the best information we could get,
for with our limited acquaintance with
these complicated booksit would have
taken weeks or months to have made a
thorough examination ourself.
But to our great surprise the Enter
prise comes out the day next after our
issue and says that General Stoney
found that the s'books, vouchers, and
other papers OF both the treasurer and
ez-auditor were badly kept" 1t fur
ther says, ''we have made an investi-
cation ourselves, and find such to be
the case, as the records show" Dr..
Higgins publishes card to-day, III
which ne fatty contradicts the editor
of the Enterprise. On this very visit
that the Enterprise saws Gener&: e'"at.'
four =,
Iy kep., Dr Hues.aS '..;.
Stoney> iiG Inspect 5h= AyoSs OF e
county treasurer and pronounced those
books shown him neatly Kept ard IN
proper form.
Did General Stoney tell the editor
of the Enterprise one thing ard the
treasurer another? Or did be tell some
one else and they the editor ofthe En-
pr;s9 Or did General Stoney say to
any one what the Enterprise attributes
to him? If General Stoney found
such condition ofafairs in the Treas
urer's Office as the Enterprise states, is
it not most likely that he would have
told the county auditor, party di-
rectly interested, which be did not do,
for Captain Bradham told US on Mon
DAY following Gen. Stooey's visit, that
the treasurers books were all right.
Again, the editor ofthe Enterprise says!
he made personal examination ofthe
records and found the books, etc. of
the Treasurer, badly kept DR.. Hug
gins denies that the editor of the En-
teTprsse ever examined his books, and
he says th&t be never sought the op-
portunity to do so. From the article
of the Enterprise, which by the way, is
published elsewhere, it appears that
the editor conducted his examination
after Gen. Stoney's visit. It strikes
us that he is the prodigy Of this age,
If he famiharized himself from Mon
dsv 10 Thursday with the books, pa
pers, ETC., OF the auditor and 'reaslr
er. We venture TO say that 20 NAH
can accomplish tie same feat IN three
months.
Now to su,a UP for the benefit OF
the iury-the pubic: f;
Do you doubt that the editor OF
the Enterprise examined the books,
vouchers, and papers Of the auditors
and treasurer's Office?
Do you doubt that Gen, Stoney
told the editor of the Enterprise or
any one else that the tressurers books
were badly kept?
And,
Do YOU believe that the editor OF
the Enterprise has made mis-state-
ments?
Do you believe be has Intentionally
znis-represented the county treasurer
# you decide any or all Of these
ahrmatively, please in
corporate with your verdict the mo-
tives prompting such unmanly con-
duct
We come now to that part OF this
remarkable production which berat-
ingly parsdes the TINES, and by con-
temptible, low insinuations, accuses it
ofbeing blinded by prejudice, belong.
ing to ssect or party" which incapaci
tates it to give the truth, etc., etc. To
explain to our readers the position Of
the TINES in the controversy Of six
months ago, referred to by the Enter
prise, we here republish the articles
which then appeared on the subject +:
Issue of March 23rd:
The Auditors Delinquent List" pub
Ished to-day, should be read care
fully. It may advertise land delinquent on
which the taxes are already paid and unless
the mistake is corrected, the property will
be auct;oned, thus incurring useless ex-
pense.
Issue of March 30th
It is no reflection whatever on the
bookkeeping of either the treasurer
or auditor that the Delinquent list" may
advertise land .'on which the taxes are
already paid" The rush and push by peo-
pie clamoring to pay their taxes towards the
close OF the collecting period necessarily
causes the most painsaking, careful officer
to sometimes omit marking off his book an
occasional payer. This happens III every
county in tie State, and is q grounless
reason for the assertion that somebody's
books have been poorly kept" When the
property is advertised then the mistake Is
corrected, and no harm done TO any party,
except that the treasurer has 70 bear the
expense of the useless advertising. Any
blockhead knows that the landowner IS not
he party to pay the useless expense.
We did not then, as the articles
prove, champion anybody book-keep-
ing in the Courthouse. Now, as then,
we donot believe that occasional in
stances of land on the Delinquent
Lis" on which the taxes have been
paid is any proof Of bad bookkeeping
Besides the reason given in the second